The invention relates to connectors for conduit and specifically to an improved liquid tight connector for joining non-metallic or metallic conduit to junction boxes or panels. Conduit may be secured to the rearward end of the connector without the required tightening of nuts with hand tools as in prior art connectors. A snap-fit feature is provided at the forward end to provide easy snap fitting into a panel. The connector therefore is a laborsaving device that greatly simplifies connection of conduit to panels and the like without the use of hand tools.
Many prior art liquid tight connectors are commonly in use for connecting non-metallic or metallic conduit to panels or electrical boxes. These connectors are usually multi-piece devices that must be dismantled to fit the conduit into the fitting and then reassembled to secure the conduit. Most of these prior art fittings require the use of a hand tool to tighten a nut sufficiently to achieve a liquid tight connection between the conduit and the connector. Most prior art liquid tight connectors also require the tightening of a nut on the forward end of the fitting to achieve a liquid tight connection between the fitting and the panel or junction box.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,068 to Law, granted Feb. 13, 1990 (hereinafter the ""068 patent) claims a liquid tight connector that accepts a non-metallic conduit that is grasped by fingers on a clip grasping on an annular ring on a ferrule. To fit the conduit into the liquid tight connector of the ""068 patent, an installer usually must remove a compression nut on the rearward end of the connector, insert the conduit into the fitting, and then tighten the compression nut with a hand tool such as a wrench to achieve a liquid tight fit. The forward end of the fitting is threaded and must be inserted into the knock-out of a panel or box, a nut is screwed onto the threaded end, and then a hand tool is typically used to secure the fitting to the panel or box. A hand tool therefore is typically employed to achieve a secure liquid tight fit on both the rearward end of the fitting, between the conduit and the fitting, and on the forward end of the fitting, between the fitting and the panel or box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,072 granted to Bawa, et al., on Dec. 10, 1991 (hereinafter the ""072 patent) attempts to improve upon the fitting provided in the ""068 patent by providing a fitting that requires minimal torque on a gland nut to secure the conduit to the rearward end of the fitting. Upon tightening of the gland nut on the connector body claimed by the ""072 patent, the gland nut engages resilient fingers with minimal friction loss, thereby enhancing hand tightening or minimizing the torque required with a tightening tool. The ""072 patent therefore requires the separate operation of tightening a nut either by hand or with a tightening tool. The forward end of the fitting in the ""072 patent is typically threaded and requires the use of a nut to secure the fitting to the panel and also an O-ring between a forward shoulder and the panel to achieve a liquid tight fit.
Therefore, as described above, the disadvantages of existing art liquid tight connectors for connecting conduit to panels include:
(a) The connector includes from two to five separate pieces, some of which must be disassembled at the jobsite prior to insertion of the conduit and then reassembled after the conduit is inserted into the rearward end.
(b) Prior art liquid tight connectors for conduit typically includes a compression, gland, or other nut that must be tightened by hand or by a tightening tool to achieve a liquid tight connection on the rearward end between the conduit and the connector.
(c) The forward end of prior art liquid tight connectors for conduit typically require the use of a nut that must be tightened with a hand tool to achieve a liquid tight fit between the connector and the panel.
(d) A separate washer or O-ring is typically provided with prior art liquid tight conduit connectors and must be assembled onto the forward end of the connector prior to insertion of the forward end into the knock-out on a panel or box.
The invention is an assembly of parts that is provided as a one-piece connector for achieving a liquid tight seal between a non-metallic or metallic conduit and an electrical panel or box. The connector includes a tubular member with an axial bore there through and a centrally located flange dividing it into two ends including a forward end having threads on its exterior surface and a rearward end having an extending ferrule. The forward end accommodates a spring steel adapter and a washer. The rearward end accommodates a tubular retainer body and a tubular retainer body cover. The connector is an assembly of the separate pieces, none of which need to be disassembled when placed in use. The retainer body is held around the ferrule or rearward end by the retainer body cover that is screwed onto a threaded shoulder extending from the central flange. The washer is held on the forward end of the connector by outward projecting tangs in the spring steel adapter, which in turn is either snap-fitted or screwed onto the forward end. The connector assembly has the advantages of providing a one-piece connector assembly which may be simply installed by pushing a conduit into a channel on the rearward end of the connector and then pushing the forward end of the connector into a knock-out in a panel or junction box until the outward projecting tangs on the steel adapter snap into place to engage the wall of the panel or box. The connector therefore is a significant labor saving device over prior art liquid tight conduit connectors as disassembly of parts is not required and hand or tool tightening of nuts is not required on either the forward or rearward end.